2013 Kia Soul complaints

Steering wheel making a loud CLUNK sound. Possibly the steering wheel coupler. Concerned that steering wheel might malfunction while driving. Checking for any recalls prior to making an appointment with dealer. Vehicle has not been inspected. Noise started about a month ago and progressively has gotten worse.

Steering wheel is making a knocking sound when I turn left or right.

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). The contact stated that while her daughter was driving 50 MPH, the vehicle hesitated and lost motive power. No warning light was illuminated. The contact's daughter was able to coast to the side of the road. The contact stated that there was a fuel burning odor coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was no longer being driven. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. Parts distribution disconnect.

Steering not tight, car shakes around 70 mph

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

On [XXX], we were driving on [XXX] from Wisconsin into Minnesota to park at MSP airport. Near the state border, we began to hear a clunk sound in the steering column. We chose to park the car at a friend's home near the airport in her garage in case we needed service upon our return from Texas where we travelling to. Prior to driving back to our home from Minneapolis on [XXX] (1.5 hours), we checked with our local mechanic to see if it were safe to drive. He could not diagnose over phone, but suggested coupling issue and that we drive carefully. We made it back home, took car to our local mechanic on 7 October, and thought it would be better to check dealership in Eau Claire, WI (another 30 minute drive). We drove there, slowly, on 18 October, and were told that it was probably the MDPS/Flexible Coupling, but that it would cost us 175 to check, and another 250-300 to replace the 15.00 part. We drove home and had a family emergency out of state and will return now to Wisconsin soon and want to get this fixed as soon as possible. We understand NOW that this is a persistent problem for MANY KIA 2013 Soul and other KIAs and that NHTSA has been supportive to some owners over this matter. We do not object to paying for the repair, but not at price-gouging levels. From what we understand, the inspection needed to check for the flex coupling is not difficult nor time consuming. We are afraid to drive the car for safety sake, but we need the car to drive! Do we have any rights to a fr

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer made the contact aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 107,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Advance Auto, where it was diagnosed with EVAP system and gas cap failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the contact was informed that there could be an oil leak, but no oil leak was found. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle lost drive power and failed to drive uphill. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the catalytic converter was clogged up and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired; however, the mechanic performed an internal cleaning of the catalytic convertor. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced an increased oil consumption. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle shook violently while driving above 40 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the steering coupler needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

On 1-16-25 I was involved in a vehicle crash in which the airbags "did not" deploy. The vehicle is at my home, the brakes locked also. I have photos. No inspection to my knowledge. Yet. Insurance claim was filed. I do not have a police report yet. No warning lights or sensors.

Honor catalytic converter failure under manufacturer warranty which they refuse to honor after 90 days at the kia service center , and fail to replace the defective part

My steering column will make a clicking sound, and the steering wheel and column will vibrate excessively.

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer informed the contact that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

The 2013 Kia Soul has been subject to recalls related to the gear shift, with some models potentially experiencing issues that could cause the vehicle to roll away due to a gear shift defect. Some 2013 Kia Souls may have a gear shift defect that could cause the vehicle to roll away unexpectedly. An engine that is hesitating to accelerate is most likely dealing with a fuel/air mixture that is too lean. Engine's that are running inefficiently will begin to show signs like hesitation which will only become worse over time.

Feel no control of steering Clicking sound when turning steering wheel Tight/ hard to steer wheel…doesn’t want to turn

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The dealer informed the contact that the contact should schedule an appointment for the vehicle to be inspected then the contact had to schedule a second appointment when the parts were available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact received a notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. An unknown local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool shows no open recall.

Broken coupler. They want 2800 dollars to fix.

My 2013 Kia Soul 1.6L is currently displaying a check engine light. My vehicle has very strong smelling exhaust, engine knocking, sluggish acceleration, and reduced fuel mileage. This has been going on for about a year. I have a diagnostic code reader and it returns the error code P0420, which indicates a faulty catalytic converter, which could cause engine damage. There is a recall for the catalytic converter for my year and engine type. I received a letter in the mail regarding this recall. The link to the letter: [XXX] However, when I enter my VIN at the KIA owners portal this recall does not come up. I have contacted my local Kia Dealership (Johnson City KIA) and they act like they have no idea what I am talking about. I have called Kia customer care center and they refused to help, saying that the recalls are "VIN specific". That's ridiculous. If the recall covers my year make and model then the VIN shouldn't mean [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

MDPS coupler worn and causing steering wheel instability and noise when driving over 60 mph. There was a recall previously that I wasn't aware of but my car had not yet experienced the problem. I am experiencing it now, but Kia says I must fix at my own cost since the recall period is passes, though I didn't have the issue then or recieve the notice.

My car has been at the Kia service center since October 5, 2024, on a manufacturer recall, and since then another recall has been added, on the day the service center received my car I was number 11, in line with the recall vehicles, I have been put in hardship because kia has not honored the recall in ample time, lost of job opportunities , stress, getting back and forth with appointments, I strongly feel as though I have been discriminated against, I receive no updated status about my car, and strongly feel, that my recall is being tossed to the side, I have contacted the NHTSB about this matter, loss wages, loss job opportunities, and stress have been placed on me from the kia service center in Trussville Alabama, Kia have failed to comply with the recall and have had ample time to remedies the problem.

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) and 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the dealer declined to repair the vehicle. The contact stated that the dealer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle vibrated and then stalled. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The local dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 188,028. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while accelerating between 2,000 and 3,000 RPM, there was a rattling sound coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle on the driver’s side of the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact used an ODB scanner and retrieved DTC code: P020; indicating the catalytic converter failure. The vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine, and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to the dealer who had upgraded the catalytic overheating protection engine control unit logic as stated in the remedy but had not replaced the catalytic converter despite DTC code. The dealer stated that the catalytic converter would not be replaced under the recall. The vehicle had not received additional repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 115,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked and unoccupied in a carport when it suddenly caught fire near the engine compartment. The fire had expanded and caused damage to the entire garage near the carport and 2 other vehicles and a motorcycle inside the garage. The fire department arrived and extinguished the fire. A fire report was filed and the origin was an electrical issue. The vehicle was towed and identified as totaled. There were no injuries sustained. A dealer was not contacted. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulics), after the vehicle fire. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 110,000.

On Sunday l was driving my car and the car started making noise at green light when l try to press on the accurate to go forward to get to the green light. I try to get though the green light but the car shut off on me in the middle of the intersection. Started the car back up and try to accurate again but was only able move a little bit and get to the side of the road this is unsafe. I have had thj

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle started making abnormally loud sounds and lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The contact resumed driving; however, the failure persisted. The contact was able to drive to the residence and noticed that the oil level was low. The contact added oil to the vehicle and started the vehicle. The contact stated upon checking the oil level again, there was no oil left in the vehicle. The contact then inspected the ground, but there was no oil on the ground. The contact researched the failure online. The contact then inspected the exhaust pipe and noticed that the oil had leaked into the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the repair was not covered under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling) because the failure was not related to the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000. The VIN was not available.

The contact's daughter owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine and the low oil pressure warning lights illuminated. The contact's daughter was able to drive to the contact's residence. Additionally, the contact stated that while his daughter was driving 40-50 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering, and there was smoke coming out from underneath the hood. The vehicle stalled. The driver was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had seized and needed to be rebuilt or replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.

See attached document for complaint.

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The contact called the dealer to schedule an appointment for the recall repair and the appointment was set for September 2024. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer informed the contact that the fuse needed to be ordered to perform the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The contact was advised by the manufacturer that the dealer would receive the part overnight to attempt the recall repair; however, the dealer later informed the contact that although they had received the fuse, they would not be able to schedule the repair until December 2024. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

See attached document for complaint

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated that after driving the vehicle, thirty minutes later, the vehicle was parked in the driveway unattended and caught fire. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was burned from the engine to the door panel. There were no reported injuries, air bag deployment, or police report. The fire department extinguished the fire. The contact stated that the failure was due to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic,). The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

The steering wheel is making a noise and is having a caution sign with the steering wheel on it

I cranked car letting it warm up, pulled out of my park onto main road, got approximately 300 yards to the red light, while sitting at the red light the cars idling went aradic, I opened the driver's side door and looked under the car, the catalytic converter was glowing red, solid red, I tried to pull into the store next to the red light, the check engine light came in and the car had no power when I mashed the gas, people behind me helped me push it into the store, after getting home that evening I checked and seen they had a catalytic converter recall on my car stating that the catalytic converter can catch on fire and harm the engine, I took the car to Kia south in Union city they gave us the run around stating that I had to have a new engine I told them the catalytic converter recall states that the catalytic converter will cause fire and engine damage, before even inspecting the car their tech had already made up his mind that's not what killed the engine, then started stating that my car wasn't under the recall I ask him how us that possible when it did the same thing 749.000 kia cars did, then was called a week later tech saying he couldn't do the recall cause he couldn't get the car to crank, but the tech said he did a diagnostics on I asked how if he couldn't get the car to crank, we took a mechanic to Kia with us, to look at the car ,after looking at the car, the mechanic told us this is the exact same damage that he has work on because of the catalytic converter,

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a dealer for the recall repair however, the vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the steering coupler needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that the unknown recall had expired. The failure mileage was approximately 100,234.

I recently serviced my Kia Soul 2013 in May and March 2024. Completing oil service, air filter replacement and new brakes and rotors. End of June, the car's engine light went on and there was a jump when idle. Took it to Kia Service Center and they reported there is an internal failure in the top assembly with an unknown cause. The car is currently unsafe to drive and needs further diagnosis, which Kia is refusing to complete. I was not notified of the recent recall issue with engire fire safety concern until the end of June 24.

Gas peddle gets very touchy before incident. RPMs spike to 3-4K, unable to stop car. Brakes do not work. Brakes get very hard and high brake peddle. Have to put the car in neutral, pull over, turn car off, put in park. Let car sit for a few minutes. Start car, something must reset because car is back to normal. My regular mechanic was unable to resolve, therefore took to dealer. $3500 later, the car is currently at the dealer for the 4th time trying to resolve. Very dangerous due to the car acceleration and inability to stop!! Has been happening for approx. 4 years. Started out happening once or twice per year, then increased to 4 times in one day. Did not happen for 5 months after brake booster was replaced in January 2024. Most recent incident 7-3-24

Paint is bubbling up and peeling off everywhere on my car

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and informed the contact that scheduling for the recall repair would start in October 2024. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

I was sent to this form by live chat to report that a recall for my car has not been remedied in a timely manner. I received notification in November of 2023 that it was advised to not use my car and to park away from buildings. It has been 7 months and it still shows as not updated on this website and the official Kia one.

Steering wheel shakes violently when going over 75MPH and is extremely shaky on side streets as well. The steering wheel feels like it’s going to fall off! Got it checked out by Kia and they said the Flexible steering coupling needs repairing and it would be over $900 to do so for a part that costs less than $10! I have an extended warranty and I was told the warranty doesn’t cover this issue, but at the bare minimum it seems like it should as it feels dangerous at times to drive the car. Also, this issue should be a recall for Kia as I have seen a ton of other people with this issue! It’s a defect in the car and should be a free recall to be fixed .

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while the vehicle was serviced for routine maintenance, the independent mechanic became aware of excessive oil consumption. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was not diagnosed since the contact refused to pay for the diagnostic test. The contact was informed that the vehicle was out of warranty and was not under a recall for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

There is a history of engine failure. The check engine light does not remain on for a diagnostic to be completed. This has been going on for about a year. One day it would run then the next day the engine would fail. It is happening more frequently such as after filling up with gas, waiting at stop lights, reversing, and DURING driving. The vehicle now will not restart when the engine fails. After investigating the failure, I related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). Kia's number for this recall is SC176. The manufacturer was notified of the failure due to the local dealership not replacing the catalytic converter due to being “out of warranty”. A case was opened and I am awaiting a response from a caseworker. I have a code in the History: P0172 code, which stands for "Fuel System Too Rich (Bank 1)". What this means in plain language is that there's too much fuel being delivered to combustion chambers on bank 1, or not enough air. Manufacturers are required to fix the problem by repairing it, replacing it, offering a refund, or in rare cases repurchasing the vehicle. However, that is not what I’m experiencing rather I am being dismissed and neglected even after the engine failed on the highway going 70mph with a semi-truck behind me nearly running over me. I then had to be towed to the dealership, which was expensive. I have spent thousands of dollars in attempts to repair/remedy this problem to only recently find out that th

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that on another occasion, the vehicle started shuddering and jerking and almost stalled. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed a misfire and a failure in cylinder #4. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 142,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The engine caught on fire. The car cut off while I was driving. It began to smoke and then I saw the flames. My safety was put at risk because I was driving the car. The car is burned from the front bumper to the backseat. The car has not been inspected because of how bad it is burned. There were not any warnings of the failure before it happened.

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the dealer had previously performed an unknown recall repair on the vehicle. The contact stated that after the repair, the vehicle stalled while driving on several occasions. The vehicle was able to restart but failed to exceed 25 MPH while driving. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to another dealer, Tameron Kia Westbank (1884 Westbank Expy, Harvey, LA 70058), where it was diagnosed that the engine was blown. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact became aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic), which she related to the failure; however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 149,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.